


All About Him

by robotkye



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Confessions, Dreams, Gay, Gay Sex, M/M, Masturbation, Molly has horns for a reason, Mutual Pining, Pining, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:31:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotkye/pseuds/robotkye
Summary: Caleb has been having some trouble sleeping thanks to one specific purple tiefling. After many restless nights, hes still having trouble coming to terms with his feelings and Mollymauk isn't making it easy.





	1. Before the Storm

The sewer air is stale and heavy. Caleb’s feet slosh in the gunk filled water, his body swaying aimlessly, waiting to see the evening sky once again. Suddenly, Caleb feels his back hit the clammy sewer wall. He sucks in a short breath, holding the air deep in his chest. He doesn't have to look into the man's eyes to know just exactly who had cornered him against the wall. As soon as he is pinned the familiar smell of incense and the warmth of the purple tiefling floods his senses.

Mollymauk is propped against Caleb's worn frame, face to face, looking him dead in the eyes. Caleb fixes his gaze to a far off wall, knowing that even one look would be the end of his self control. With eyes fixed to that wall, he at least has a shot. That is until Mollymauk opens up his mouth. 

“Hey, Caleb?” Molly asks, all the syllables slowly rolling off his tongue in a way that is taunting yet still kind. Caleb swallows, not adjusting his line of sight. Molly continues. 

“I’m fine if you skim something off the top - that’s fair. But, be clever about it. Just distribute sixty, seventy percent of what you find. Okay?” Caleb tried to appear unresponsive, but at that, his body betrays him and he visibly swallows. Caleb internally punches himself, praying that Mollymauk didn’t notice his little slip. But like most things, Molly notices. His lips shift into a soft smirk. He gives Caleb a brief pat on the cheek before disappearing up into the evening streets of Zadash, leaving as quickly as he had arrived.

Caleb waits a few seconds, before releasing the breath he had been holding onto like it was his last. His knees buckle and his body crumbles underneath him. He shrinks to the sewer floor, his heart beating hard in his chest.

Caleb’s eyes spring open. He leans up fast out of the bed. His skin is coated in a thick of sweat. His mind is racing, replaying the moment in the sewers over and over. He lets out a loud groan before returning to his restless sleep. 

Caleb wakes up the next morning anxious, aggravated, and very tired. After waking up the first time, the rest of his sleep was plagued with more dreams, all sharing the same focus: Mollymauk Tealeaf. For the past couple of nights, Caleb has had very detailed dreams of his current traveling companion. Normally, images of the capturing tiefling were easy enough to push from Caleb's mind, but after the third or fourth dream, they had worn down his defenses and made a home in the back of his brain. A nagging reminder of everything Caleb couldn’t have. 

The problem is not that he is having incriminating dreams about other men. The real issue is that these recurring dreams are about his fellow party member, someone that he would be inexplicably close to for the upcoming months and someone who is entirely uninterested in him romantically. 

Caleb knows how he looks. He knows that he looks like he had just crawled out of a ditch somewhere outside of city limits. The dirt clinging to his skin and hair scream filth to anyone that walks past him. His overcoat is heavy and hiding. Everything that clings to his body does their job and allows for him to blend in anywhere. To be honest, he has always preferred to be unconditionally overlooked and avoided rather than being in the spotlight. It's just in his nature after doing it for as many years as he had. Which is why these dreams are so earth rocking. Mollymauk is practically a God walking amongst mere mortals, a total opposite to Caleb.

His crimson eyes and vibrant purple skin drag the gazes of all passerbys, and unlike Caleb, Molly doesn't mind the audience. He is naturally loud and brash. His flamboyant overcoat and the shimmering piercings decorating his body make this evident at first glance. His presence is commanding all on it's own, emitting an air that allows him to take charge effortlessly. On top of that, his clever tongue gives him the power to quip and charm his way through any situation, and when his smart mouth isn't charismatic enough, his blades more than make up for it. 

Caleb doesn't know how the initial discomfort towards the man had shifted to become a searing fondness. When Molly had first walked through the tavern doors, he had immediately been overwhelming to Caleb. Everything about him screamed attention and Caleb was fine with that, as long as he could stay a good distance away from the man. But as the days went by and Mollymauk had transitioned to be a familiar face in their band of misfits, Caleb began to see through the facade at what the tiefling was really like. 

Caleb saw how while Molly liked being in the spotlight, most of the time he just kept quiet and listened. He only chimed in to add his wise input, doing so without adding more confusion to the equation -- except for when he purposefully wanted to be. He was a quick thinker and had a bunch of little tricks he would implement to get what he needed. While he is naturally a chaotic character, Molly was quite wise and knew when to enact these sides of himself. Caleb also noticed how kind he was. All of the fellow members of the carnival spoke about him with admiration in their voice. When Toya was an emotional wreck after being rescued, Mollymauk had cradled her in his arms, comforting her the best he could. After returning from the gnoll mines, Caleb saw how when every villager tried to buy them a round, Molly would slip some coin into their pockets without them knowing. When Caleb first saw Mollymauk, all he saw was his bright, blinding nature, he totally missed the wise mind and caring heart underneath. 

Mollymauk is like the gleaming sun, warm, inviting, yet still dangerous while Caleb wouldn't even be on a star chart. He is a nobody. Just a mere grimmy speck of dust. Stars and specks don't mix. This devastating fact means that Caleb's pinning is all for not and that he should get over this crush as soon as possible, for the good of the party -- and, at this point, his sanity as well.

Because of this, Caleb has tried to keep his interactions with the man short. He wasn’t avoiding him. He really wasn’t. More of just walking the other direction if he knew that Mollymauk was near.

Caleb sits at a table with the rest of the waking party. He sits on the outermost side, allowing the rest of the group to converse freely. He is only partially paying attention to the conversation anymore, the lack of sleep making daily tasks all the more difficult. Just as Caleb finishes his breakfast, Mollymauk trots down the stairs, yawning as he goes. With lion like grace, he moves to the only free seat remaining at the table, the one directly across from Caleb. 

“Well, good morning,” Molly says, sliding into his seat. Caleb gives him a curt reply before averting his gaze. Molly cocks a brow at this and then gives Caleb a thorough once over. He then opens his mouth like he’s about to say something before he closes it, turning towards the rest of the group to lend his expertise for their plans for the day. Caleb breathes a sigh of relief at the averted confrontation. He then forces himself to actively listen to the conversation, trying to use it as a distraction. But when the purple tiefling proves -- once again -- to be more interesting than the discussion, Caleb takes out one of his books to busy himself. He does quite the job if his eyes can just stay open. During that time, Molly moves up to the bar to order his breakfast. 

Caleb then feels a small tap on his shoulder and turns to see Nott holding out a mug of steaming tea. 

“Thank you,” Caleb says, as he takes the mug and takes a slow sip. Nott gave him a weak smile. Every morning that Caleb had woken up with increasingly darker bags under his eyes, Nott seemed to grow more and more worried. It had gotten so bad that she was starting to get incredibly protective of him. Always watching him to see if he was eating enough and wasn’t putting too much strain on himself during their battles. He hated to see his friend worry for him so persitantly, so a couple nights after the dreams had first started, he had confided in Nott that he was having some unwanted, romantic dreams about another, he just conveniently left out the fact that they were all about Mollymauk. She had been very understanding of this and started to try and find ways to help him with this predicament. 

“Have you been getting any more sleep?” She asked kindly.

“Some,” He lied. In fact it had gotten worse. But she smiled happily at him, glad to hear of his progress. He continued to sip on his tea. The blend was unlike any he had before. It was sweet but not too much so and was quite comforting. 

“What kind of tea is this?” Caleb asks, cradling the warm cup in his hands. 

“I don't know. Molly said that its a relaxing blend that helps people sleep,” Nott eclaims. Caleb sighes. 

“I would prefer it if you would have kept this between us,” He whispers.

“No! I didn’t peep. I swear it. Molly brought it up,” She replied. 

Oh. 

“That's -- nice of him. Sorry, thank you, Nott. You have been very helpful,” Caleb says, looking into the bottom of the cup.

“Maybe you should go and try and get some more rest,”

“Ja, that sounds like a good idea. I'll go up in a bit,” Caleb can tell that Nott is smiling from behind the mask as she walks back to the other side of the table next to Jester. 

A couple minutes pass before Molly returns to the table with a steaming plate of food in front of him. He plops down across from Caleb again. 

“Thank you,” Caleb starts. Molly looks up from his food. Caleb meets his gaze for the first time since the moment in the sewers. 

“For the tea,” Caleb finishes, breaking eye contact after if got a little too intense for his liking. He feels his blush creep up under his skin, still not strong enough to make a public appearance. He brings the cup up to his lips and takes a sip, hoping to appease his nerves. 

“Oh! Anytime. A good blend always helps after restless nights,” Mollymauk replies.

“Uh - - How do you know so much about tea?” Caleb questions hesitantly. He tells himself that he is only making conversation to be polite. 

“Can't really say. Tea has just become a guilty pleasure of mine. I drink it maybe a little too often for my own good. Now it's just a habit to mix and add certain flavors to make my own special blends.” Molly smiles confidently. 

“You made this?” Caleb sputters out. His heart beating just a little faster at the realization of the full weight of Molly’s kind gesture.

“I did indeed,” Molly announces confidently, a rich smirk appearing on his face. Caleb feels his blush start to swarm his cheeks and tries to hide it behind another long sip of tea. Molly smiles back at him before going back to his meal. Caleb stares into the bottom of the mug, yet again.

“It’s good,” Caleb says, playing with the cup between his fingers. 

“I can tell,” Molly chuckles, leaning over the table to be ever so slightly closer to Caleb. His feet brushing up against Caleb’s underneath the table. He flushes and tries to bring the mug up to his mouth for another sip but then realizes that he has run out of tea. Molly chuckles deep in his throat at that. Caleb lets out an awkward smile and places the cup in front of him.

They sit like that for a while, a comfortable silence setting between them. Molly had slipped into casual conversation with the rest of the group while Caleb just sat there and started to zone out. His drowsiness finally caught up with him. He excuses himself from the table and retires to his room. As his head hits the pillow, Caleb’s thoughts wander to Molly before he dozes off into a warm, comfortable sleep. 

He was able to squeeze in a decent couple of hours before the dreams made their return appearance. 

They start off innocently enough. Most of them just pleasant memories of the man. Mollymauk quietly reading under a tree. Molly cackling, happily after one of Jester’s jokes. Molly skipping down cobblestone streets, tipsy and joyful for the world. All of the memories were so sweet, so bright, so Molly. But surely enough they all turn more intense. 

Molly shooting him a wicked grin, sharp teeth, barring and teasing. 

Molly pushing him flush against the wall, wanting and yearning. 

Molly using that tongue to do more than just talk. 

Caleb using those horns to hold on just for a little longer. 

His eyes. 

His hands. 

His lips. 

All on Caleb’s raging, leaking, achingly hard -- 

Caleb sits up out of the bed. His lungs burn and sweat beads down his body. He rubs his eyes, hoping to blur the images that he can see so clearly behind his eyelids. 

He wakes up fully and is no longer groggy and tired like he was the morning but all the more frustrated. He hears a knock on the door and a voice calls out from behind it, telling him to come meet the group downstairs. For what? He didn’t know, but could assume it was for normal party errands. He puts his clothes on -- more sweat wont do them any more harm -- and heads down back to the rest of the bar. He sees the whole party exactly where he had last seen them earlier that morning. Nott waves him over and clings to his side as the party makes their way out of the tavern. On their way out, Molly catches his eye and gives him a friendly smile, like he’s asking him how he’s doing. Caleb replies with a jerky thumbs up as he turns away from Molly and follows after the group. 

As they make their way through the crowded streets, Caleb feels a familiar pair of crimson eyes watching his every step. He can’t even bear to look Molly in the eyes right now and just keeps his eyes trained to the backs of Fjord’s heels and follows him in a daze. He didn’t know they were going to the bathhouse until he was standing in front of the buildings grand doors, staring absently at the sign. He gave himself a quick sniff and at that, knew that he could really use the bath but didn’t know if he could really trust himself to be naked around an also de-robed Mollymauk in the steamy waters. 

“Hey, uh. Are you alright?” 

Caleb fades out of his daze and looks over to see Beau, leaning against her staff. He gives her a questioning glance. 

“Ja,” Caleb starts, a little caught off guard “,Why wouldn’t I be?” Beau squints her eyes at him more. 

“Look I don’t really care, but you just look kinda like shit right now. Like your mind is somewhere that is clearly not here with the group. I know a bath cheers me up but knowing you and your whole dirt thing, I don’t know if a bath will un-dampen your weather,” Beaux trails off. 

“Ok, thanks,” Caleb says as he walks into the building, leaving Beau alone outside the bathhouse. 

“Yeah, good talk, Caleb!” Beau calls after him, putting her hands together and rocking on her feet before sulking into the bathhouse. He walks into the lobby to see Fjord booking the bath and also sees Molly leaning on the far wall. Their eyes meet for a brief second before Caleb breaks the contact and makes a beeline to the other side of the room. Caleb trains his eyes over towards the counter.

“For all of yee, that’ll be about 7 silver pieces for the main chamber,” the Lady at the counter says. 

“That’s perfect. Thank you kind-,” Fjord starts but Caleb interjects. 

“Actually, can I have my own tub?” Caleb announces. It catches almost everyone in the room off guard. They know he hates social interaction but this was just a bit unusual. Especially because of how boldly he had just stated his intentions. 

“Surely,” the lady says “,That’ll be 6 silver and a gold then.”

Caleb slips the piece onto the counter before stalking into the rest of the bathhouse. The rest of the party continues on as normal, but Molly watches Caleb walk off down the hallway, only slightly masking the hurt in his eyes. 

Caleb opens the sliding door that leads to the first room of his suite: the changing room. He shuts the door behind him and hesitantly strips out of his clothes. It feel so weird to be alone after spending so much time with the party. He leaves his grimy clothes in a pile in the room before grabbing a towel and moving over to the bathing room of the suite. He slips into the warm water. He groans as he feels the water work the stress out of his muscles. As he sits in the tub, his mind aimlessly begins to wander towards the images of Molly. Caleb squeezes his eyes shut and readjusts himself in the tub. 

He sees Molly, beautiful as ever. Purple locks flowing down his head, well pierced horns sparkling in the light. He imagines Molly here with him. Sitting cockily on the other side of the tub. A wide smirk is spread on his face. He saunters through the soapy water, closer and closer to Caleb.

His breath catches in his throat. Caleb moves his own hand to his chest, slowly trailing down as Molly gets closer. He imagines Molly reaching out and steadying himself on his shoulder as he slips into Caleb's lap, their chests facing each other as Molly leans in towards his ear. Caleb hears all the filthy things that he says. He feels the tiefling’s hot skin against his. He feels the hand teasing at his chest. He feels Molly grinding, achingly slow down on his lap. Rocking into him. He feels Molly’s dick against his stomach.

Caleb lets out a low moan and brings his knuckle up to his mouth to bite down on. His hand trails down and wraps around his cock and just squeezes. He feels his cock throb and groans. He hears Molly’s pants in his ears. These little desperate wines. He then imagines Molly rocking his dick against Caleb’s. Teasingly at first. He begins to stroke himself under the water. He imagines Molly leaning into his neck and sucking little bruises into the skin there He imagines his taking both of their cocks into his hands and pushing them together, giving them both so much of that desired friction. 

Caleb muffles his moans with his hand before quickening the pace on his dick. Molly has both cocks in his hand now and has found a fast and hard rhythm that is slowly driving Caleb up the wall. Caleb is now thrusting his hips up to meet Molly’s hand. He feels his climax building in him and he doesn’t let up the pace. His hand is making quick work of him and the imaginary Molly is tearing him apart.

Molly is kissing up his neck, over the bruises, and then down his jaw line. Molly leans back then. Caleb opens his eyes and sees that face staring down at him, smiling. Molly then leans forward and captures Caleb’s lips, kissing him. This was all that Caleb needed and it sends him over the edge. As soon as feels his ecstasy racing towards him, regret instantly seizes him. 

He reaches down and grips his cock at the base in hopes of keeping himself from coming. He knows that he is still safe as long as he doesn’t come. Not from thinking about Mollymauk. But it’s too late. Even with his vice like grip on his cock, his orgasm rips through his systems. His cum spurting into the warm water. 

He sits in the tub catching his breath. After this, he knows that he is undoubtly fucked. With that, he leans back into the tub and stares at the ceiling, slipping into subspace.

Caleb doesn't know how much time has passed before he moves again. The water is now only slightly warm and he uses the rest of it to thoroughly clean himself off. Once satisfied, Caleb grabs the towel and dries off. He wraps the towel around his waist and moves into the suite’s changing room. But as he slides back the wooden partition between the rooms he isn't greeted by an empty room, but instead by Mollymauk, hair still wet, a towel hanging dangerously low on his waist.


	2. Lost in Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb's working through it. He's trying man.

Caleb fidgets under Molly’s gaze. His hand moves to the tuck of the towel to hold it in place. 

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Mollymauk says as he looks into Caleb’s eyes.

“I didn’t mean to,” Caleb stutters out. 

“You don't have to lie,” Molly replies. Caleb freezes, the fear of how long Molly had been there finally hits him. He feels the guilt start to prick under his skin and his body retreats in on himself. Molly’s stance shifts as he continues. 

“Look, if you want some alone time, then I won’t stop you. Or get in your way, for that matter. But if you want to be away from me, and me specifically, then let me know,” Molly says, Caleb doesn’t notice up until now how tense the other man looks. 

“I know that most people find me repulsive, so if it would make you feel better, then I won’t trouble you any longer. I won’t love it but I can live with it if you want me to, that is,” Molly finishes and looks down at his feet waiting for Caleb's inevitable answer. Caleb stares at him in confusion and some levels of shock. This was not how he was expecting this conversation to go. He had prepared himself for Molly confronting him, totally appalled by Caleb’s little stunt in the tub. He wasn’t prepared for this. Not prepared in the slightest.

“No,” Caleb mutters “, That’s not what I want to happen. I --” 

I like you. He almost said. Almost.

He catches himself before he finishes a line that he knows he would get in trouble for later. Molly looks up at him with his devilish eyes. The ever so subtle nerves in Molly’s stance seem to wash away as his posture then shifts to something much more languid. A reckless glint sparks in his eyes.

“Oh, and what do you want to happen?” Molly quips, slowly stalking closer to Caleb. 

“I can be quite providing, when I want to be,” Mollymauk hums playfully. As the man grows closer, all Caleb can do is take a couple of steps back. Molly continues to move into his space until he has crowded Caleb against the wall, leaving their bodies close but not completely flush. Mollymauk carefully places one hand near Caleb’s head on the wall, while he moves his other to softly ghost the outside of Caleb’s hip like he is asking for Caleb’s permission. Molly tilts his head and leans into Caleb’s ear. 

“What do you want from me?” Molly whispers into the shell of Caleb’s ear. At this, Caleb’s entire face floods red and his brain starts to work in overdrive, the nagging anxiety creeping its way into Caleb’s chest. A wave of nausea hits him. This is too much. Too much for Caleb to handle in any situation. He knows he can’t think. He doesn’t want to do something that he would beat himself up over for later. He doesn't want to face Molly's inevitable rejection. He needs to accept the fact that Molly is just toying with him. Caleb places his hands on Molly’s chest to push him away. 

The other man leans away from him, a slight twinge of disappointment shows in his eyes before he is able to mask it with an awkward chuckle. Mollymauk turns away. 

“I am sorry. That was quite selfish of me. I shouldn't have tried that. I am incredibly sorry. Uh -- I should go,” Mollymauk says as he moves away from Caleb, floundering a bit in the space before moving to the exit and leaving the room. Caleb feels his back crash against the wall and cards his hands through his hair, contemplatively. 

After that day in the bathhouse, Mollymauk had stayed true to his word and had left Caleb alone. The loud tiefling stayed clear of him whenever he could. Leaving dinner shortly after Caleb had finally arrived. Trying his best to stay with the rest of the party and far away from Caleb as they ran errands. He even shifted his routine so that he and Caleb would never bump into each other alone. Nothing more than these little redirections. But it was these little things that were driving Caleb up the wall and he hated it.

He hated not being close to the man. He hated not being on the receiving end of Molly’s small touches. And he absolutely hated that Molly was avoiding him. It was making Caleb’s skin crawl in a way he couldn’t explain. But he knew he deserved it after doing the same thing to Mollymauk.

And despite Caleb’s original hypothesis, having his days vacant of the tiefling didn’t help his sleep schedule. In fact, his dreams became swarmed with surreal images of Molly. They had gotten so bad that out of fear of Nott finding out, he kindly suggested that she stay with the girls for a couple of nights. Making up an excuse about him catching a cold that Nott would most definitely not want to risk catching as well, thus eliminating the risk of his little crush being found out in his sleep. But, despite the fact that he was now more restless during the day, Caleb found himself looking forward to trying to sleep. 

At least in those dreams, Molly gave him everything. He no longer ignored Caleb and gave him all the attention he could ever want. In those dreams, Molly's fleeting touches blossomed into so much more. Molly would pin him down and worship every part of Caleb's body, fully. In those dreams, Molly would fuck him. Or he would be fucking Molly. Either way, it would be the best sex of his life and he would always wake up before he finished. But most importantly, in those dreams, Molly would love him endlessly. He would kiss his lips with a fire and a passion that most thought could never have existed. He would touch him a way that would make him feel desired and beautiful in all the right ways. Molly would lather on layer after layer of unadulterated affection and it made Caleb so happy.

But he knew none of it meant anything. None of it was real. This wasn’t the real vivid and burning Mollymauk. This was just his silly dream. 

Caleb felt awful about it all but none of his temporary fixes seemed to act as a permanent solution. A couple nights had passed and the lack of sleep was starting to take a serious toll on him. But he did have one more trick up his sleeve, his last resort. 

Caleb woke with a start, sweaty and totally unfulfilled. He got out of bed and gave himself the least satisfying orgasm known to man, before heading down to breakfast. 

As he walked down the stairs, he could see that all of his party members were already up and in full swing over breakfast. And of course, amongst them was the gleaming Mollymauk, smiling and chuckling along with the group. Caleb felt a pang of want in his chest but quickly shut it down before moving over to a table away from the rest of the group. He didn't feel in a particularly good mood and wanted to save himself from Jester’s annoying proding. 

Before the barmaid could even stop by to ask for his order, a piping hot breakfast was placed on the table in front of him. Caleb looked up and saw Yasha walking away from his table to rejoin the party. Caleb dug into the food. The plate held a thorough array of eggs, meats, and bread. And right next to the plate was a mug with a familiar smelling tea blend inside. The huge amount of food was from the party, it was their way of making sure he was alright, but he knew the tea was Molly’s personal touch. And at that, he smiled to himself and ate his breakfast peacefully. Half-way through the meal, Fjord walks up to his table. 

“Morning,” he greets. 

“Good morning,” Caleb says affirmingly, mostly to himself but loud enough for Fjord to hear. 

“The party was thinking of making a trip to the Invulnerable Vagrant and then we were gonna go window shopping. Care to join us?”

“Ja. I have some shops I’d like to stop by,” Caleb responds, wrapping up his breakfast. He gathers his things, mainly the coin, and then meets the group outside of the inn. They set off into the bustling streets of Zadash. Beau takes point and the rest of the group follows behind, Caleb walks beside Nott to keep an eye on her sticky fingers. 

The sun is hanging low in the, it’s harsh, golden light bearing down on the city. The group have stopped by most of their primary shops and are making their way to the Tri-Spires in hopes of checking out the Bakery again. Jester orders yet another wild assortment of pastries and Mollymauk buys himself a couple of fruity tarts. The tieflings are laughing about something and its making Mollymauk smile a big, sweet kind of smile. Caleb loves seeing him this happy. He wishes he could make Molly smile like that. 

The man sighs to himself and then slips away from the group, walking down a cobblestone side street. The party has started to grow on him and was starting to truly enjoy their character but he doesn’t want them to accompany him to the shop he has in mind. Not right now at least. He walks through the beautiful streets of the district only stopping when he was outside the doors to the Chastity’s Nook. He looks around for any unwanted eyes watching him before pushing into the shop. 

The store hadn’t changed much from the last time he had been in. The front was still covered in the ornamentals of the shop while the desired books resided in the back. The few patrons who were currently in the shop paid Caleb no mind and continued to quickly read through their books. While the first time he had gone to the shop had been for ‘business’ purposes, for this trip he was here purely for pleasure. He needed to get Mollymauk out of his head and he knew himself well enough to know that a book would do just that. Caleb gives Iva a small smile before making a beeline to the back of the shop.

Upon reaching the back, his eyes are confronted by images of scantily clad models, all painted to perfection. The characters are all rippling muscles and delicate frames, dressed in very revealing clothing. Caleb averts his gaze to the shelves and shelves of books, scanning for one that would work in his favor. Zemnian Nights - already read it - and he didn’t want to get another copy of Tusk Love - Jester spoiled most of it for him. He skims the titles of a few more but out of the corner of his eyes, he sees an elaborate painting hanging over the display featuring a brand new book: “To His Strange Demon”. 

Caleb walks over to get a closer look at the display. The hanging scroll portrays a very detailed painting of a fire red tiefling cradling a human man in his arms. The tiefling is lustfully looking at the human while the man himself is looking off in another direction, completely oblivious. Caleb’s heart makes a small thud sound in his chest.

Oh. OH! 

This is. 

This is exactly what he is looking for. 

He picks up the book without a hint of hesitation. The book cover itself is a dark red with nothing but the title etched in gold font on the front. Relatively nondescript for a homosexual smut novel. He quickly looks around the shop for any curious eyes before discreetly making his way over to the front desk.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?” Iva says. 

“Ja,” Caleb says, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. He slips the book over the counter. Iva’s warm smile grows. 

“Good choice. That’ll be five copper,” Iva chimes in. Caleb hands over the coin and Iva takes it as she passes the book back to him. 

“Um, by any chance can you wrap it up in some paper? It’s a present for a friend” Caleb lies, looking around to see if he has drawn any attention. 

“Oh, certainly,” Iva says. She takes out a sheet of brown parchment and some string from under the desk and begins to wrap them around the book. 

“You seem like a very good friend. I wish my friends would buy me stuff like this,” She says as she hands the wrapped books back to Caleb. He just nods sheepishly and then exits the store. 

Caleb nonchalantly tucks the book under his arm, making the package a little less obvious. He weaves back the way he came through the streets and arrives back the bakery. He easily spots his party and makes his way over to them. 

Nott spots him quickly and then trots up to his side. 

“Caleb! We were just about to head back to the inn. Did you buy everything you needed?” Nott says. 

“Ja, I made a good purchase,” Caleb responds, unintentionally adjusting the book under his arm. 

“Oh! What did you buy?” Jester calls out to him. 

“Nothing,” He responds, trying to appear calm and natural.

“But you just said you bought something!” Jester sings. She steps closer to him and tries to get a peek at the package. Caleb moves himself to put some distance between them, but Jester is persistent and keeps trying to get a peak. 

“Leave him alone, Jester,” Mollymauk calls out.

“Aw, you’re no fun,” Jester pouts. She backs away from Caleb and falls into stride next to Fjord. Caleb tries to find Mollymauk’s gaze to give him a quick nob in thanks but the tiefling is already walking back in the direction of the Leaky Tap. Caleb follows after the rest of the party quietly. 

They make it back to the inn without a hitch and while the rest of the party decided to stay in the tavern for some dinner, Caleb excuses himself to his room. As soon as the door is shut, Caleb takes off his jacket and kicks off his shoes. He makes his way over to the bed, unwrapping the book as he goes. He settles into the bed and opens the book to the first page and begins to read. 

The story is about this red tiefling named Amal who is completely head over tail for an unknowing, small-town blacksmith named Regis. They first meet in a tavern, where Amal finds Regis drunk off his ass and helps the man get home. Even when drunk, Regis is able to make Amal laugh, which is something his stoic appearance has no room for. A couple days later, Amal stumbles into Regis’s shop and practically gives the man his heart on a silver platter but Regis doesn’t seem to notice. Amal tries countless different courting methods but none get through until he blatantly confesses to Regis who returns the feelings tenfold. It’s a sweet story. Two people fall in love and they live happily ever after and have the greatest sex imaginable. 

Caleb can’t help but feel a little envious. 

By the time Caleb finishes the first act of the book, the sun has set and sleep is knocking at his door. The man puts the book aside and tucks himself in for another restless night filled with dreams of a man who would never reciprocate his feelings. But those dreams never come. When Caleb wakes up the next morning, he feels peaceful and well rested. Caleb breathes a heavy sigh of relief. 

He knows this feeling. This is the start of moving on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayeee  
> Next chapter will be short, I really want to write a little something for the Mollymauk backstory reveal! SO get ready for that next time!
> 
> Also if there are a bunch of errors please let me know!
> 
> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> (but I feel like this chapter is a let down in comparison to the first one)
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr @robotkye

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! I don't do this very often. But anyways love this ship and Critical Role. This is my first published fic. I hope people like it. Please leave a comment and some kudos. Please tell me how to make it better. Don't be mean? I dont know what to put here. sorry lol
> 
> Check me out on tumblr @robotkye
> 
> A bit about me, my name is Kye and I use (they/them)  
> also there will be more to this fic don't you worry


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